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RESTORED AND GOING HOME It took more than six years, but Restorations Unlimited in Cary returned the world’s only Alpena Flyer to glory / D1 NWHerald.com
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Legislators opt out of pensions Several area representatives speak out against incentives program amid state’s many financial woes By ALLISON GOODRICH
State Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, has opted out of pension
agoodrich@shawmedia.com One of the first moves state Rep. David McSweeney made after assuming office in January 2013 was completing paperwork to opt out of the pension system, he said. “I think this is a part-time job,” McSweeney said, “and with all the financial problems the state has, I don’t think legislators deserve pensions.” As Illinois continues to
State Rep. Barbara Wheeler, R-Crystal Lake, recently filed to opt out of her pension
grapple with pension reform in the midst of heavy financial woes, McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, is joined in his decision by an increasing number of state legislators. He is among a group of more than 20 known Illinois lawmakers forgoing pensions entitled to them through the General Assembly Retirement System, according to Reboot Illinois. McSweeney said he’s hoping to set an example. “I would certainly encour-
However, almost none of the legislators on the list have taken their current offices Get the latest headlines emailed earlier than 2011. The excepstraight to your inbox each weektion is Sen. David Luechtefeld, day afternoon by signing up for R-Okawville, who took office Afternoon Drive at nwherald.com/ in 1995. newsletter. Upon entering into the legislature, members are “basically put into the plan autoage people to follow, and I matically,” according to Tim think others are doing it,” he Blair, executive secretary of the State Retirement System. said. Those who have opted out Those opting out are state representatives and senators, had to do so within a 24-month Democrats and Republicans. period after becoming a mem-
Afternoon Drive
ber, Blair said, adding after two years, members no longer have the option to forgo the pension system. Having assumed office in 2013, state Rep. Barbara Wheeler, R-Crystal Lake, became aware she was still able to opt out during an interview with the Northwest Herald for this story. Within minutes, Wheeler said she had paperwork moving to get herself off the plan.
See PENSIONS, page A6
W-A-R-N-I-N-G!
Community emergency sirens often can't be heard indoors By KEVIN P. CRAVER
Hazards Mitigation Plan, a 2010 document meant to act as a guideline for protecting the county from the effects of natural disasters. The plan also qualifies the county to receive federal funding for projects that lessen the effects of them. “Outdoor warning sirens can reach many people quickly as long as they are outdoors. They do not reach people in tightly-insulated buildings or those around loud noise, such as in a factory, during a thunderstorm or in air-conditioned homes,” the report states. But people have multiple ways to get advance warning of severe weather, both in their homes and on their person. Homes should have a NOAA all-hazards weather radio, which emits a tone and a message upon receiving a warning. Unlike older radios, new models have the capability to sound a warning only for your particular county.
On the Web
kcraver@shawmedia.com
So you didn’t hear the warning sirens when the National Weather Service called two tornado warnings for McHenry County over 10 days last month? There are two simple explanations as to why. The first is coverage area – larger cities aside, siren coverage area for much of McHenry County isn’t very good. Even in places where it is – Crystal Lake several years ago replaced its eight old warning sirens with 15 new ones – they can be hard to hear in a storm and through modern construction. The second and more important reason is that such sirens were never meant to warn people already in their homes, which is why Crystal Lake and other towns refer to them as “outdoor warning sirens.” The Northwest Herald gets calls after such events from people concerned that they didn’t hear the sirens. So does the McHenry County Emergency Management Agency, Director David Christensen said. His home is three blocks from a siren, and he can’t hear it indoors. “We hear it all the time. They’re meant to get outdoor people indoors,” Christensen
A list of emergency notification options can be found on www.mchenryaware.com, which is maintained by the McHenry County Emergency Management Agency.
said. The good news is that people have numerous and better options – which should be common sense given that Illinois is no stranger to severe weather – with which to get adequate warning. The idea that outdoor warning sirens are meant to alert people indoors is one of the dangerous tornado myths – such as taking time to open windows to “equalize pressure” or that highway underpasses provide adequate shelter – that experts are fighting to dispel. McHenry County does not have a cohesive grid of warning sirens, and building one would set the county back at least $18 million, Christensen said. He said he wants a study done of what areas are, in fact, covered. A warning siren under optimal conditions has an effective range of about a half-mile. Their shortcomings within that radius are laid out in the McHenry County Natural
Smart phones also can act as warning systems. Owners can get warnings tailored to their exact location, and the county has had the capability since 2012 to send warnings to any phone, regardless of area code, based on tower locations during an emergency. People also can sign up for text alerts from weather or news agencies, such as The Weather Channel. The Northwest Herald’s text alerts include notification of severe weather watches and warnings. A list of available warning systems is at www.mchenryaware. com, the county’s new emergency website. While redundancy is important, Christensen said your primary warning should come from an “official” source to add precious time to react. He also urged people not to disable their smart phones’ emergency alert function. “If people don’t do that, we can save them,” Christensen said.
Working from a lift Radicom employee Scott Runyard performs maintenance on a tornado siren April 24 on Haligus Road in Huntley. H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
Rauner proposes lower Illinois income tax rate Calls Gov. Pat Quinn’s track record ‘atrocious’; Quinn dismisses proposal as ‘dumb idea’ By SARA BURNETT and KERRY LESTER The Associated Press SCHAUMBURG – Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner said Thursday he wants to lower Illinois’ income tax rate, freeze property taxes and impose a new sales tax on some services, a plan he said would
help improve the economy and grow jobs but that Gov. Pat Quinn dismissed as “a dumb idea.” Rauner unveiled his plan at a family-owned manufacturing plant in Schaumburg, where he said Quinn’s policies – including his support for raising the income tax – have created a hostile business climate and caused people to flee the state.
SPORTS Kenzie Mocogni
“His track record is atrocious,” the businessman from Winnetka said. Quinn countered that he helped lead Illinois out of a recession and said Rauner’s plan to tax services such as trash collection and interior decorating would hurt “everyday people.” “This is a dumb idea and I don’t believe people in Illinois are going
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Shane Lamb faces additional weapons charges, request for new judge in case denied / A3
5 percent current Illinois income tax rate
3.75 percent income tax rate on Jan. 1, 2015, if no legislation is passed to increase it
3 percent Rauner’s proposed income tax rate
Read more Officials postpone probe into defunct anti-violence program. PAGE B2.
Proven lawyers who are there when the water is rough.
Winning is no accident. Airliner shot down in Ukraine Rebels and Ukraine officials both claim to have nothing to do with the incident / B3
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Boys Senior Division champ Daniel DePrey gets win in playoff; Kenzie Mocogni takes the Girls Senior Division by one stroke / C1
See TAXES, page A6
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Dramatic finishes at MCJGA
to buy it whatsoever,” the Chicago Democrat said following a stop at a Chicago technical school, where he announced he was expanding a training program for construction jobs. Quinn also touted Thursday’s announcement that Illinois’ unemployment dropped to 7.1 percent in
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